The Most Simple, Yet Complicated Thing
by Sese Daniels
Summary: When I was born, I had no idea my life would be so hard. When I was six, a disembodied voice began to visit me in my dreams. When I woke up from that dream, I could understand Pokemon. When I was eighteen, my father was murdered, and his killer was never found. Rather than give up, I moved back to Kalos. And on my first day in Vaniville Town, I made my first friend: Calem Xavier.
1. Chapter 1

"...Serena, are you in here?"

Grace Yvonne gently knocked her knuckles against the bedroom door before opening it and peeking inside. When she saw her daughter sitting at her new desk, just staring at an old family photo of herself and her parents, she grew very sad all of a sudden. "Hey, sweetie... How are you holding up?" Grace walked over to Serena, peering around her to look at her face.

Serena's grim expression did not fade. "As well as I can be, I suppose..." Her tone was quiet and almost inaudible, filled with heavy sadness that weighed her down.

Grace let out a sharp, brief sigh, just as upset about this as her daughter was. "I miss him too, sweetie..." She rested her hands on Serena's shoulders, leaning forwards to get a look at her late husband in the photo.

His name was Stefan Yvonne: a wonderful, absolutely brilliant, charismatic husband and father who was taken from his family at a relatively young age. Only forty years old, the genius inventor had been found shot to death a month ago in his research lab in Pallet Town, Kanto. The killer had failed to leave a trace, and the police had long since given up on the cold case. With no evidence, they lacked a case to pursue.

His thirty-eight-year-old widow and eighteen-year-old daughter were left behind, and now the family portrait of the three smiling and laughing together would never be looked upon with a smile ever again. The photo would only bring sadness to the Yvonne family, rather than happy memories once forgotten.

"Well, I came to bring you this..." Grace set down a small red book on Serena's desk, worriedly pressing her lips into a thin line as she glanced upon her daughter. "I thought it might help for you to cope by writing it all down in something."

Serena numbly nodded her head, not once looking at her mother. "Thanks, mom."

Grace held back the urge to sit Serena down and force her to open up to her, and she exhaled sharply as her heavy eyelids fluttered shut momentarily. "You know that if you ever need to talk, I'm always here for you, right...?"

"I know." Serena quickly forced out a reply, almost a little irritated with the burden of socializing with another human being.

Grace took the hint and nodded before letting herself out. "Well, I'm going to be downstairs if you need me..."

"Okay." Serena listened to the sound of her bedroom door closing before tearing her eyes away from the floor and glancing up at the red book that now rested on her desk.

* * *

Grace unpacked the rest of the boxes of dishes to go in the kitchen. Just before she finished pulling out all of the ceramic plates, she froze where she stood in front of the kitchen island that acted as their dining room table. On it rested Serena's silver locket which was left open, so Grace could see the two pictures inside.

One picture was with all three of them in one big group hug, laughing and smiling. The other one was with Serena and Stefan, and Stefan had his arms wrapped around Serena from behind her and had pulled her back into him for a hug.

Grace's lip quivered, and she shakily sighed. "I... I need to go talk to someone." She grabbed her house key and her coat off of the hook next to the door and walked out the front door, shutting it behind her.

An icy cold wind blew past Grace as she walked, only making her glad she had remembered to grab her coat before she left. Kalosian winter seasons were always more harsh and freezing than winters in other regions.

She glanced over to her left at her Rhyhorn lying on the front lawn, who was completely unbothered by the cold and contently napping on his blanket. "I'll be back in a minute, Rhyhorn." Grace's whisper was carried away by the wind, softly disappearing into the air.

Vaniville Town was very small, quiet, and peaceful. Grace liked it because it reminded her of Pallet Town. There were less than thirty people living in Vaniville Town, and coincidentally, one of Grace's old friends from Trainer School lived in the house right next door to her: Caroline Xavier.

Before Grace could even get the chance to knock, the brunette watched as a black-haired woman opened the door first, not surprised to see her there.

"Oh, Grace... I saw you walking up the driveway." She reached out the place her arm behind Grace's back, ushering her inside. "Come on in."

"Thank you, Caroline..." Grace depressingly exhaled her sharp, crisp breath, letting herself in once more as she did last night and sat herself down on the couch.

Caroline was dressed in black skinny jeans and a pink ruffled top, which contrasted with her bright blue eyes and waist-length black hair. You wouldn't have guessed that she was a mom herself, given that she looked so young. Meanwhile, Grace looked her age with her brown bob, green and white striped shirt, beige overcoat, and blue jeans.

Caroline took a seat on the couch next to Grace with a sympathetic look written on her face. "How are you holding up? I know you said you were having problems with Serena last night..."

"Still am." Grace folded her hands into her lap, staring down at them. "She just won't talk to me about what's going on with her. I know her and her father were really close, but still... I..."

Caroline gently tugged Grace close to her, letting the newly-widowed woman use her shoulder as a pillow. "Oh, sweetie... There's only so much you _can_ do. Just give her some space for awhile and she'll come talk to you when she's ready, okay?"

Grace laughed depressingly, stressed out and overwhelmed. "How are you so smart when it comes to these things?"

Caroline deeply sighed with an equally stressed out smile stretched across her lips. "Well, just like you, I've got a teenager of my _own_ to deal with. Remember?" She shot her friend a quick glance, recalling their conversation the night before. "My son is stubborn and determined, and I think he's just a year older than Serena."

"Hah, sounds like my daughter..." Grace chuckled to herself, sitting back up straight again. "Thanks so much, Caroline. I'm already feeling a lot better."

"Anytime, hun'." Caroline gently smiled at her friend before her expression dropped to the floor and was replaced by a wicked grin. "Wait a minute... You and I have a son _and_ a daughter around the same age with similar personalities. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Grace, making the brunette crack up laughing.

Grace inhaled sharply, getting an idea. She allowed herself to be mischievous in attempt to help her forget about her pain, even if it was just for a moment. "My daughter is _overwhelmingly_ stubborn and always does her own thing... So, do you think...?"

Caroline clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh my gosh, my Calem is the same way! With their stubbornness, I bet they would be able to put up with each other!"

Grace excitedly took Caroline's hands in hers, and the two women began childishly bouncing up and down from their places on the couch. "Oh my gosh, it's totally a match made in heaven!"

The women's girlish squealing was cut off by the front door opening, and a six-foot two-inch tall boy stepped inside. He was dressed in an all blue track suit decorated with white stripes, and he had on black combat boots to counter the cold weather. His chin-length black hair was the same shade as his mother's, but his blue-grey eyes looked just like his father's. He shook out his coat and hung it up before noticing both his mother and her friend sitting on the couch.

When Calem saw the all-too-familiar wicked grin on his mother's face, he was already irritated. "...Mom, what are you up to _now?"_

Caroline took offense to that, holding her hands up in the air. "Why must you always assume that I'm up to something?" She innocently batted her eyelashes at her recently turned nineteen-year-old, who's birthday was just last week.

Calem simply rose an eyebrow at his mother. "Because you _always_ are."

Caroline paused for a moment before shrugging to herself, turning back to face Grace. "...well, he's not _wrong."_

Calem shook his head and laughed before motioning to go up the stairs. However, Grace wasn't about to let him get away so easily.

"Oh, Calem, was it?" She innocently called out to him, successfully getting him to stop in his tracks. "My name is Grace Yvonne, and my kid and I just moved next door."

Calem's interest was immediately piqued at the mention of a new kid he had yet to meet living next door. "Oh, is that so?" He pretended not to be interested, but his mother knew him better than that.

Caroline excitedly grinned to herself, knowing her son was hooked.

"Mmhmm." Grace nodded her head, trying to hide the wicked, match-making grin that was trying to creep up onto her face. "My daughter is right next door in the house to your right. If you would like to meet her, you can just walk right in." Grace threw the bait out there, hoping he would take it.

Caroline remembered something Grace had told her last night, and she decided to add on to the bait. "In fact, she's even one of the Dexholders you'll be traveling with on your journey this year."

The two women anxiously waited to see what his next move would be, and they tried not to squeal with delight when Calem walked back down the stairs and went to open the door. "Perhaps I'll just go introduce myself, then."

When the coast was clear and Calem had shut the door behind him, both women interlocked hands once again and started to jump up and down. "AHHHH! OUR KIDS ARE GOING TO GET MARRIED AND WE'RE GOING TO BE FAMILY!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

"A diary, huh...?" Serena outstretched her hand and lifted the small blank diary into her palm with her fingertips before flipping it open and grabbing a pen to write with. She bit down on her lip as she twirled the pen between her fingers. "I _guess_ I could give this a shot..."

 _"December 18th, 2015. I suppose I just write whatever is on my mind in this stupid thing..."_ Serena began her first diary entry. _"Well, here goes nothing..."_

 _"One month ago, my father was murdered. I have had absolutely no closure with this because I don't know who killed him and why, and not knowing is the worst burden to deal with of all. Last week, my mom got a call from her brother suggesting that we move back home to Kalos so we could all be one big family again. Last night, we moved into our new house in Vaniville Town, Kalos._

 _When I was little, my parents raised me in Lumiose City, Kalos. I was a born and raised city girl. My father was an inventor, and he even used to work for Kalos Technotics, the biggest technological industry in the Kalos region, which was later renamed Lysandre Labs. However, after developing the Holo Caster, he left the company for a better job opportunity in Kanto, so I moved to Pallet Town when I was six years old. I was just about to begin my journey as a Pokemon Trainer there before my mom decided to move back home closer to her brother._

 _Well, no more Rhyhorn racing for me. Both my mom and I used to Rhyhorn race for fun, although my mom actually became famous for it and well known as "Grace Sycamore, the Rhyhorn-racing beauty!" Although, she's a retired racer now, being a single mom and all. Although, money has never been a problem for us; we're fairly well-off thanks to both of my parent's careers. You could say that I will never have to want for anything for the rest of my life._

 _Although I lost my racing career and the opportunity to become a Pokemon Trainer when I moved back here to Kalos, my uncle gave me a job at his Pokemon Lab to make up for it. Now, I have been officially made his assistant and have been given both a Pokedex and a starter Pokemon._

 _You see, my uncle is Professor Sycamore, the lead Pokemon Professor of this region. He's always strongly believed in giving kids a chance at adventure, and he runs a program where every year he will give out three starter Pokemon and Pokedexes to three lucky wannabe-Trainers and give them the_ _opportunity_ _at an adventure. Although, this year he's giving out five Pokedexes, including the one for myself. As his assistant, I am in charge of the other four Dexholders and must preside over them during their journey, and I am the main one of the five in charge of completing the Pokedex. Because of this, I am the main candidate to be considered for the position of becoming my uncle's successor._

 _He stopped by this morning to say hello and bring me a gift box filled with numerous items. I hadn't seen my uncle in twelve years, and he had already made time for a personal visit and spoiled me with gifts. For one, I was given a red Pokedex; he must have remembered that was my favorite color. There was also a bag filled with supplies, such as Pokeballs, potions, some starter cash, my new Trainer Card, and there was even a Pokeball with a Charmander inside. How my uncle found out the exact starter I was going to pick for my Kanto journey and got his hands on one, I have no idea. But it was a sweet gesture. Perhaps Professor Oak had something to do with it..._

 _And now, later today, I am supposed to meet the other four Dexholders. However, I'm finding myself not really wanting to..._

 _I am_ _not_ _a people person. All my life, no one has ever befriended me for any reason other than wanting to meet my famous relatives and connections, and you could say that has given me a fair amount of trust issues. Hell, the only real friend I've got is this feminine, disembodied voice that has been visiting me in my dreams since I was six years old. Everyone I've been exposed to is shallow and selfish, only trying to get close to me for their own personal gain. But what about me? How do you think I feel about being used like that? It's just not fair. It has never been fair..."_

Serena set down her pen and closed the diary before setting it back down on her desk. "I guess I do feel a _little_ better..." She stood up and crossed her room, stopping in front of her wardrobe.

It was about time she got dressed for the day. She _did_ have to be at the meeting of the five Dexholders in one hour, after all.

She pulled out her favorite outfit and quickly got changed, standing in front of her mirror to check how she looked. She wore a deep red, high-waist skirt with two pockets on the sides and a black, sleeveless top. Her pale legs were mostly covered by black, thigh-high OTK socks and her black, knee-high, lace-up boots. Her honey-blonde hair was left down and a red felt hat with white sunglasses resting on the brim of it was placed atop of her head. Serena blinked her stormy-grey eyes at her reflection before walking off, satisfied with her outfit.

Now, she just had to pack for the long journey that awaited her.

...although, there was something she had to do first.

Serena pulled out a Pokeball from her pocket, and she eyed it curiously for a moment before throwing it in front of her and releasing her starter Pokemon.

A white flash erupted from the Pokeball when it opened up, and when the light died down, an orange lizard Pokemon was standing next to the empty capsule. Serena immediately recognized this breed as a Charmader.

The Charmander stretched his arms and yawned, squinting his teal eyes at the brightness adjustment. _"Hey! I was napping in there!"_

Serena rolled her eyes. "Get over it. I had to meet you at _some_ point." She irritatingly rested her hands on her hips.

Charmander was about to retort when he suddenly froze, staring up at the weird, sassy, blonde, human girl before him _. "Wait just a second, did you understand that?"_

"No, I just sassed you back because I _didn't_ understand that." Serena let the sarcasm roll off her tongue casually, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes again.

Charmander's jaw quickly crashed to the floor _. "Wha-HUT!? Since when can humans understand us!?"_

"They can't." Serena bitterly answered him, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's a rare gift that only a handful of people have. I'm just one of those people for reasons I don't quite understand myself."

Charmander blinked at her owlishly _. "Oh. I knew that."_

Serena scoffed, shaking her head. "No you didn't."

Charmander scowled at his new Trainer. _"So, I take it you're my Trainer now?"_

She nodded her head briskly. "Yes. My name is Serena Yvonne, and I am an eighteen-year-old girl aiming to become Kalos's Pokemon League Champion someday. Will you help me achieve that goal?" Serena stared down at her Charmander for a good minute, waiting for his response.

Charmader goofily saluted her, grinning like an idiot _. "Yes, ma'am!"_

She smiled softly to herself in amusement. "Good."

A gentle knock at Serena's door startled the young girl, and she wondered who it could be. Who would be knocking at her door right now? It couldn't be her mother, could it?

When she crossed her bedroom and opened the door, she quirked an eyebrow at the person standing before her. "...who are you?"

* * *

 **XD XD XD XD although the beginning chapter is different than the original version of TMSYCT, you can see that I kept some aspects from it, such as Serena and Calem's moms being old friends and _extreme_ matchmakers.**

 **For you old readers now getting a chance to read the new version, welcome back and I hope you enjoy this version much better than the last! I'm keeping the plot the same, but there _are_ some differences, and I'm also breaking up the chapters more.**

 **For those of you new readers, hello and welcome to this book! I hope you enjoy it :) I know you will if you're a fellow Kalosshipper!**

 **Ground rules: do not, and I repeat _do NOT_ comment on this story begging me to update. I hate those comments.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or its plot and characters.**

 **Claimer: I own any changes to the plot, which is a LOT of this book XD and don't forget my OCs thrown in there occasionally!**

 **Read, review, and enjoy ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

Calem wasn't a very sociable guy, and when it came to communicating with people, he wasn't very good at it.

And by people, he meant _girls_.

There was no time for Calem to bother with socializing, not when he had to train to be the Kalos Pokemon League Champion. He was better with Pokemon rather than people, and he wanted it to stay that way. However, that didn't mean Calem didn't have friends.

He had three, actually. Shauna was his closest friend; they had known each other since they were very little. He met the inseparable duo Tierno and Trevor along the way in Trainer School, and the four had been one big group of friends ever since. Each one of his friends had _insanely_ different personalities, and if they all hadn't met Calem when they were younger and got used to his serious, straight-to-the-point demeanor with a touch of anti-socialness, they probably wouldn't be friends with him now.

It's not like he was _opposed_ to socializing and meeting new people, he was just a tough guy to get along with. He was incredibly stubborn, and he focused mostly on training and developing battle strategies, even though he was lacking a single Pokemon. With both of his parents being successful Ace Trainers, Calem was determined to surpass them. And what was the only way to do that? Become champion, of course.

And now, knowing there was a new girl next door that he had yet to meet, he found himself curious to find out what she was like. Can't really blame the boy for being curious, can you?

...but first, he had to get past the psycho _Rhyhorn_ guarding her front yard.

Calem blinked owlishly at the large rock creature about to charge at him, taking a cautious step back. "Easy, now... I was invited over, I swear!"

Rhyhorn scowled at Calem and kicked at the ground, not listening to him. His rocky shoulders were squared as he locked onto his target, preparing to charge with an overpowered rollout attack.

A nervous bead of sweat trickled down Calem's forehead as the teenager watched his life flash before his eyes. If he didn't get out of this agitated Pokemon's way, and _fast_ , he was most likely about to be shishkebabed. And frankly, Calem was quite fond of the idea of remaining in one piece for the rest of his life.

Rhyhorn grunted and lunged forwards, running across the front yard at top speed towards the stranger who had _dared_ to trespass on his property. There was no _way_ he was going to let this stranger break in and do weird things that perverted teenage boys do to his precious Serena!

Calem panicked and jumped out of the Rhyhorn's way, then immediately bolted for the front door when Rhyhorn ran past him and skidded to a halt before he collided with the white picket fence. Thankfully, the front door was unlocked just as Grace said, and Calem quickly ran inside and shut the door behind him.

Calem panted and let out a heavy sigh, slamming his back up against the door and sliding down it a little. "Phew..."

Entering a stranger's house unexpected even _with_ permission to enter still felt wrong to Calem, and he was _going_ to ring the doorbell in order to not seem rude, but...well, then again, Calem wasn't really expecting there to be an angry Rhyhorn guarding the front lawn. What the heck did Grace even _feed_ that thing!?...

When he steadied his breathing and felt relaxed now that the danger was over, Calem stood straight up and took one more step further into the house. It was small and quaint, and strangely enough, it looked like a mirrored version of his own house. And if this house was similar to the design of his, then that would mean the entire second floor was a bedroom, which most likely belonged to _her_.

Er, what was her name?

...

Calem mentally smacked his forehead. _"Idiot...you jumped the gun and forgot to even bother to ask what her_ _name_ _is."_ He internally kicked himself for that slip-up.

To his left was the kitchen, straight ahead was the living room, and he assumed that wrapping around the living room towards the back right was Grace's bedroom. Which meant the staircase leading to upstairs was...

Directly on his right.

Calem wasn't nervous; he really wasn't the type to get nervous. He was too stubborn and brave for that; that wasn't his current dilemma. He just felt awkward walking up to some girl's room and introducing himself.

...well, if he got slapped for invading her privacy, he'd blame it on the Rhyhorn.

He took one deep breath before taking the railing and beginning to walk up the carpeted stairs. Her bedroom door was shut, and he could've sworn he heard voices on the other side, but Calem couldn't really discern what they were saying.

Before he knew it, he found his knuckles gently brushing against the wooden door, and he had this feeling of soul-crushing regret begin to grow in the pit of his stomach as soon as he did it.

The door was gingerly opened not even a few seconds later, and Calem was left blinking repeatedly at the girl in front of him with a rather odd look on his face.

Now, being someone as stubborn as he was and fiercely determined to achieve his dream, Calem wasn't really one to take an interest in people. So to say that this was the first time he was actually alert to the appearance of someone was _definitely_ unheard of. Especially since it was a _girl_.

"...who are you?" She asked him accusingly, almost glaring up at him out of confusion.

She was five-foot six-inches tall with the brightest and bushiest honey-blonde hair he had _ever_ seen. Her grey eyes were narrowed at the sight of him, and that was what snapped Calem out of his momentary daze.

"Oh, I'm your neighbor." Calem instinctively held out his hand for her to shake, almost forgetting his manners. "My name is Calem. Calem Xavier."

The girl stared at his hand strangely before redirecting her scowl back up at him. "And you're breaking into my house, because...?"

Calem immediately held out a hand to stop her as his shocked eyes instinctively widened at her question. "Oh, no, I didn't break in. Your mom invited me over-"

That was apparently all she needed to hear. Her intense sigh and eye-roll combo almost made Calem quietly chuckle from how amusing it was. "Of _course_ she did..." The girl looked into her room for a split second before turning her head towards Calem once more. "Well, I _suppose_ you can come in."

"Thanks." Calem nodded his head to her politely and followed the blonde into her pink-themed room when she left the door wide open for him. He took notice of the several unpacked boxes stacked up against her walls, and the Charmander making himself comfortable on her bed.

Wait, _what?_

Calem blinked once, twice. So he _didn't_ hallucinate the rare Kanto starter just lounging in her room...? Apparently not...

The girl ignored his presence and resumed packing various supplies into her red purse as she talked to him. "I'm Serena Yvonne. Sorry my mom dragged you into putting up with me..." Serena shoved a few extra shirts into her purse, not even looking up at the boy standing in the middle of her room.

"Well, it really was no trouble." Calem had already said it before he suddenly recalled his near-death experience with the Rhyhorn outside. "Er, well, I mean...I would have met you in an hour at the meeting, anyways..." He seemed to be losing the ability to speak to the pretty girl without tripping over his words every three seconds.

Serena stopped all of her movements and froze in the middle of packing a few extra things into her purse before standing straight up and looking over at Calem. "Oh. So you're one of them, huh?"

The way she quizzically blinked at him almost made Calem forget who he was for a second there. "Yes, I am. And I understand that you are one of them as well?"

Serena bit down on the inside of her cheek. "Something like that..." She forced out a reply, leaving something out of it.

Calem quirked an eyebrow at the strange girl across the room. She was a bit cold and distant, wasn't she? It was hard to believe her and her mom were related...

Well, perhaps it was just a front, and she was actually a different person when you got to know her?

...hopefully.

"Hey, you." Serena looked over at the Charmander lying on her bed with his feet kicked up, lounging carelessly. "Make yourself useful and take this downstairs." She picked up her red purse that was strangely capable of carrying an impossible number of items and tossed it to the orange lizard, who immediately caught it in his mouth and willingly took it downstairs. Now that she was done packing, Serena rested her hands on her waist, quirking an eyebrow at Calem across the room. "Why didn't you just ring the doorbell? I would have let you in..." She added the last part quietly.

Calem could only just sweatdrop at her innocent question. "Well, that was my original plan before that _Rhyhorn_ of yours nearly killed me."

Serena was almost a little shocked to hear that, and her eyes widened at the sight of Calem. The teenage boy watched as the corner of her mouth twitched, and Calem nearly drew his head back in shock when Serena... _laughed_ at him.

Her laugh was so pure and innocent, and that was the first time he had ever seen her smile. It was hard to believe such an emotionally-distant girl was capable of laughing and smiling like an angel.

"I'm sorry..." Serena quieted her laughter while wiping at a stray tear forming in her eye. "I shouldn't have laughed. Rhyhorn isn't a fan of boys, you see." She almost seemed awkward as she scratched the back of her head.

Calem slowly found himself beginning to crack a grin at her immediate change in mood, but when both teenagers heard the front door open and slam shut, Serena's uplifted mood immediately dissolved back into its gloomy one.

Calem barely had time to turn around before loud thudding footsteps began running up the stairs, followed by someone shouting, "CALEM DEREK XAVIER!"

Uh oh. He knew who _that_ voice belonged to.

"Oof!" Calem stumbled forwards, nearly losing his balance when someone slammed into him at full force. "Agh, Shauna...be careful!"

Serena's scowl quickly found its way over to the other side of the room, and she frustratingly threw her hands up into the air. "Why does everyone keep breaking into my house!?"

This time it was a five-foot tall girl with two dark brown twintails. She was dressed in a hot pink shirt accented by comically large black bows and a pair of blue denim shorts, along with her pink strappy sandals and matching hand bag. She was practically jumping up and down with _boundless_ energy.

Her green eyes lit up at the sight of Calem. "Calem! I've been looking for you _everywhere!_ If we don't leave soon, we'll be late for the meeting! And I reeeeeally want to meet my new partner!" She almost whined that last part as she pulled on Calem's jacket sleeve.

Calem's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline at the sight of his best friend, unsure of what to even make of this. "Shauna, how did you know I was here?"

Shauna scoffed as if it were completely obvious and Calem was just an idiot or something. "Uh, hello?" She held up her Holo Caster and waved it back and forth. "I LoJacked your Holo Caster _years_ ago!"

Calem's eyes darted between the crazy girl and the Holo Caster clipped to his belt with a paranoid look on his face. "Wha...why!?"

Serena awkwardly cleared her throat, and the girl Calem had called Shauna turned to look at her. "Oh, hello there! What are you doing here?"

Serena stared at her in awe, completely dumbfounded. "Uh, I _live_ here...?" She answered obviously. Serena wasn't sure if this girl was unobservant or just plain stupid. Or possibly both.

"Oh, right." Shauna laughed it off before grinning brightly at Serena and waving. "I'm Shauna! It's nice to meet you, er..."

"Serena." The blonde finished Shauna's sentence for her, a little annoyed by the spastic person infiltrating her home uninvited.

Calem was completely unfazed by Shauna's eccentric and energetic behavior, but he _was_ curious about one more thing. "Shauna, how did you get past the Rhyhorn...?"

Shauna almost laughed at how stupid a question that was. "What, that little guy? Awwah, he's the sweetest thing!" Her bright grin lit up the room as she recollected on the past five minutes, and Calem nearly doubled over in surprise when she referred to the Rhyhorn as 'little.' "I had to stop and pet him for a few minutes before coming inside, of course!"

Calem incredulously threw his hands up into the air. "Seriously? Is it really just me that he hates?"

Serena chuckled darkly under her breath, tilting her chin down far enough for the brim of her hat to cover her eyes. "I told you that he hates boys..."

Shauna quirked an eyebrow in Serena's direction, having an _extremely_ late reaction. "Ohhhhh, so _you're_ the new girl, right? Meaning you're also one of us!" She extended her arms into the air, almost as if she was giving her an air hug from a distance.

Serena plainly rose an eyebrow, disinterested in this whole conversation. "If by one of us you mean one of the Dexholders, then yes. I am."

Shauna excitedly clapped her hands together. "Oh, goody! I really look forward to getting to know you, Serena!" Her grin was so bright and cheery that Serena thought she might puke at the sight of it. "I'm so sick of being the only girl in our group..." Shauna stuck out her bottom lip to pout, sighing as she relaxed her shoulders. "I need a girl best friend who will go shopping with me!"

"Oh, goody..." She muttered under her breath, stressfully rubbing at her temples. Was it just her, or were these two giving her a headache?

Calem glanced down at Shauna. "Hey, Shauna, didn't you say we were going to be late for the meeting?"

Shauna snapped her eyes open in shock, having completely forgotten the _sole purpose_ of her being here. "Oh my gosh, that's right!" She dashed across the room and grabbed Serena's hand before pulling her towards the door. "Come on, Serena!"

Serena struggled to form a proper sentence, bewildered and speechless as this weird girl dragged her out of her own bedroom. "Uh, wha... Hey, wait, stop! Would you cut that out already!? Let go of me!"

Calem chuckled to himself before following the two girls downstairs, listening to Serena's very loud protests and Shauna's giggles. "If she can't handle me or Shauna, I can't wait until she meets Trevor and Tierno..."

* * *

 **And here is chapter two~! I wrote this at 1AM because I felt like writing. That...apparently seems to be the one time of day that I actually get stuff done, oddly enough...**

 **XD anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading this! Just a little side note here, if you're reading this book solely for the battle scenes, then you'll be disappointed to hear that I will barely be writing any at all because they're really not my forte and I feel as if they distract readers from the important part of the story: the plot. If you're a fan of battle scenes, I'm sorry ^-^;; but if you're like me and don't particularly care for them, then you're welcome! Honestly, any battle scenes in this book will probably just be edited and/or written by my editor Rose.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Once upon a time, there was a man who had a Pokemon he loved very much. He was actually the King of the Kalos region. The King and his beloved Pokemon lived side-by-side with one another, happily living together in this time of peace.

But that time of peace did not last for long.

A war broke out in Kalos, and that Pokemon went to fight in the war, where she was killed. The King received the body of his beloved Pokemon several years later, and out of _unspeakable_ grief, he built a giant device to restore her life. He wanted to bring her back, no matter what the cost was. He succeeded, but was unable to overcome his despair and turned the machine into a weapon, with which he destroyed both sides of the war to bring it to an end. He could not forgive the world that hurt the Pokemon he loved. He just couldn't...

She must have known. The Pokemon, she must have known that the lives of several Pokemon were sacrificed just so she could be given life again. She felt betrayed by the King. How could someone sacrifice the lives of so many Pokemon just to save _one_...? It was a heartbreaking decision, and it affected both the King and her greatly. All she ever wanted of him was to be a good man, and then he went and did something like _this_.

The machine granted that Pokemon eternal life, and the King was cursed to live out the same fate. Neither one of them died, even centuries later.

The King wandered the land aimlessly in search of his Pokemon who abandoned him, and his broken heart just couldn't let go. He wanted her back. He missed her so deeply, and even after he realized what he did was wrong, she still did not come back.

He never saw her again. And to him, that was a burden far worse than wandering the earth forever and alone.

The King's younger brother had that weapon buried in hopes of it never being used again; the key to it was kept safe on a chain around the King's neck. Although, it was likely the weapon would be used again, and it was even prophesied years later.

After the ultimate weapon was fired, it took time for Arceus to restore the land and create new Pokemon to occupy it. In honor of those who perished in the war, two new Kalosian guardians were born: Xerneas and Yveltal.

Xerneas was rumored to take the shape of a blue and black deer with golden and rainbow horns. She was the symbol of life itself, and with her powers, she could heal. She wandered forests and kept out of man's sight in order to keep herself safe and hidden away from those with greedy souls.

Yveltal was quite the opposite, and he presumed that was exactly why he and Xerneas did not get along. This Pokemon was a great Y-shaped, red and black flying beast with piercing blue eyes that glowed sharply. He drained the life energy of others to heal himself, and he was the symbol of death and destruction. He presided in mountainous regions, having to keep himself hidden from the likes of humans, just like Xerneas.

They knew exactly when the ultimate weapon would be fired again. Arceus had predicted it would be sometime in the year 2016, and Xerneas and Yveltal had to prepare for it.

Xerneas had knowledge in advance that she would be incapacitated at the time of the chaos and would be unavailable to help, so she decided to put her faith in Yveltal to save the day. Originally, both Pokemon were going to pick a human child to make their 'savior.' But, with Arceus's prophecy about Xerneas, she decided to give up on the boy she was originally going to pick to be destined for greatness and let Yveltal pick one, and only one, for himself.

And he did. Working together with Arceus to see future souls yet to be born, he found a fiery spirit similar to his own that would be born into the body of a girl who would grow up to be a strong individual, capable of stopping those intending to fire the ultimate weapon. The boy Xerneas was originally going to pick would grow up and live a confusing, difficult life, and Arceus foresaw that both the savior and the boy would cross paths one day. He foresaw that the boy would be confused as to why the he could never beat the girl, but he did not tell Xerneas or Yveltal of this.

Two souls intertwined, and only one was chosen for the role of a hero. But that didn't mean both wouldn't become heroes on their own some day.

When she came of age, on her sixth birthday, Xerneas entered the girl's dreams and told her a bedtime story. It was a sad story about a war and how one small glimmer of hope in the future would someday put and end to the darkness. When the girl woke up from that dream, Xerneas had given her the power to communicate with those of her kind: Pokemon.

She frequently visited the girl in her dreams to talk to her as she grew up, since Yveltal was a big jerk and would probably scare the girl off, but one day...she stopped. Xerneas had been captured by greedy human beings five whole _years_ before the ultimate weapon had been prophesied to be fired, and the girl grew sad and lonely.

Her soul was red like fire, and his was blue like ice. She was similar to Yveltal in personality and potential for darkness, while he was similar to Xerneas because of his good heart.

The two souls went down different paths, and they would not see each other again for some time, nor would they ever know that they were intended to share the role of being a hero.

But perhaps all rules are meant to be broken in time.

* * *

"SERENA! OVER HERE!" Shauna waved frantically at the blonde entering Aquacorde Town from where she sat at a picnic table.

Serena quirked an eyebrow at the energetic brunette, and Calem continued to walk by Serena's side. He laughed and shook his head at Shauna before joining her and his other two friends at the table. Although, he did pull out a chair for Serena and help her sit down first like a gentleman.

Somewhere far, far away...

Yveltal looked off into the blue sky at something thousands of miles away, furrowing his brow _. "So, it is time... My champion and Xerneas's lost soul have finally been reunited. The prophecy is coming to pass at last..."_ He turned his head to glance back behind him at the cave he dwelled in _. "I may not like you, Xerneas, but that does not mean I will not save you from the fate that no Pokemon deserves."_ He spread his wings and took off into the sky, flying higher and higher _. "It is time to meet my champion for the first time. And now... I must_ _warn_ _her."_

* * *

 **Instead of doing a prologue, I decided to do this XD I'm** _ **so excited**_ **to see that this story has readers already!** **Thank you so much for reading my story ^-^ it means a lot to me.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

"...why am I here, exactly?" Serena blinked owlishly at her surroundings, tuning out the idle chatter coming from passing by citizens and tourists in Aquacorde Town. To Serena, this whole atmosphere was just plain... _annoying_.

"This is where our meeting is, neighbor." Calem glanced over at Serena as he sat down next to her, almost a little amused by how annoyed she was by simply being around people.

"I know _that_." Serena rolled her eyes and landed them on Calem. "I meant why am _I_ here. I already have both my starter _and_ my Pokedex." She crossed her arms over her chest, making one of her eyebrows disappear behind her blonde bangs.

"Whoa, you already have your Pokedex!?" Shauna gaped at the new girl from her seat at the end of the table, slapping her hands on the sides of her face. "How? I'm just getting mine _now!"_

Serena opened her mouth to say " _because I'm the Professor's assistant that is in charge of you all_ ," but the words wouldn't leave her lips, and she found herself saying something entirely different instead. "I...got it in advance. You know, since I just moved here."

She was worried Shauna and the three other boys wouldn't buy her story, but her worry quickly dissolved when Shauna slapped her forehead. "Ohhh, that makes PERFECT sense!"

Serena stared at her unbelievably as she found herself sweatdropping. "It does?" She quickly stopped herself and cleared her throat, fixing her questioning tone to be more matter-of-fact. "Oh, I mean, yes. It does."

Serena's Charmander pulled her red Pokedex out of her purse and jumped up onto the table, holding it up into the air. _"Tah dah!"_

Shauna giggled at the cute Pokemon when Serena snatched the Pokedex from his paws. "Hey...give me that!" Serena stuffed her Pokedex back into her bag and jerked Charmander off the table, scowling down at the fire Pokemon sheepishly grinning in her lap. "You're a complete moron..."

"Is that your starter?" Shauna grinned, waving to Charmander. "He's cute! Just like your Rhyhorn!"

Calem internally cringed at the mention of Serena's Rhyhorn. "Well, to answer your previous question..." He glanced over at Serena with a distant gaze. "We thought it would be best if we all got to meet you before we got going. We _are_ starting out in the winter, after all, and it will be helpful to have allies on our journey if we ever need help."

Serena bitterly shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose so..." Her disinterested tone caused everyone at the table to sweatdrop at her coldness.

"Well...I suppose I should introduce everyone." Calem cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. "This is Trevor." Calem pointed at the boy sitting directly across from Serena. "He's really shy, but he always gets perfect scores on his tests. He's also the same age as Shauna: fifteen."

Trevor had orange hair that came down to his chin in a bob hair style and vibrant green eyes similar to Shauna's, but his were more lime in color. He seemed pretty nervous about the spotlight being on him, and Serena immediately noticed him uncomfortably squirm when he saw her looking at him. He had on a white button-up shirt covered by a green vest, beige pants, and green sneakers; he was also wearing a green backpack.

"...hello." Trevor awkwardly waved to Serena, grinning nervously.

Calem, Shauna, and the third boy were unfazed by Trevor's socially awkwardness, completely used to it by now. Having only met him for the first time at this point, Serena made a mental note of his shyness.

The boy sitting next to Trevor let out a hearty laugh and patted him on the back so hard that Trevor simply exhaled "oof!" and was sent forwards a little bit. He shot the boy an annoyed glare, who only grinned back at Trevor in return.

"Lighten up, Trevs!" The boy chuckled, shaking his head at the orange-haired boy. "You're way too uptight sometimes."

"Tierno..." Trevor crossed his arms over his chest. "I was doing just _fine_ until you nearly broke me in half with that impeccable strength of yours."

Calem shook his head, completely unsurprised as he pointed to the other boy: Tierno. "And _this_ is Tierno." Said boy smiled and waved to Serena. "He's the oldest of us Vaniville kids: nineteen, going on twenty soon. Despite all appearances, he's actually an amazing dancer."

Tierno was a little heavier-set than average, but his bright smile that never left his face hardly allowed you to ever pay attention to that. He had black hair that was styled in a similar fashion to the top of a Torchic's head, and his brown eyes shined bright when they caught the sun's light. He was dressed in a black Vanillite t-shirt, orange shorts, black sneakers, and a matching orange backpack.

"And you've already met Shauna." Calem half-smiled over in her direction.

The energetic girl happily waved hello to Serena. "Hehe... Hi again!" She seemed to bounce in her seat whenever she was excited about something, and she was very happy to be making a new friend.

...well, that feeling wasn't mutual on Serena's end.

"And guys, this is my neighbor: Serena Yvonne." Calem held his hand out in front of Serena, pointing everyone's attention directly to her.

"Wow, Shauna! Your description really _was_ spot on!" Tierno patted Shauna on the head, and Serena couldn't help but wonder what exactly Shauna had told them about her. "It's nice to meet you, Serena! Although, I'd feel like closer friends if we called you by a nickname."

"Oh god." Serena's eyes widened in horror. "Please...no. Just no."

Tierno cracked up laughing at her unwillingness to comply. "Oh come on! It'll be fun! How about...Lady S?" He suggested, shrugging his shoulders to suggest he was thinking _"why not?"_

Serena grimaced at the _awful_ nickname, about to interject and refuse the idea when Shauna interrupted.

"No way!" Shauna slammed her hands on the table, launching herself out of her seat a little. "She looks more like a Lil' S to me!"

Serena glared incredulously at Shauna from her position at the table, tuning out Charmander's continuous laughter. "How can you possibly consider _that_ as a good nickname...?"

Shauna giggled at Serena before having something else to say. "What do you think, Trevor?" She looked over at Trevor from across the table, smiling at him brightly.

Trevor woke up from his trance startled, looking around him in a panic. "Ah...what, uh...? Shauna! You can't just put people on the spot like this!" He grabbed and pulled at his hair with his hands, staring at Shauna so confused that he looked genuinely embarrassed. "How do you expect me to nickname someone I just met!?"

Serena quirked an eyebrow at Trevor's sudden shift in mood and tone, wondering what had gotten him all riled up all of a sudden. She was about to look around and try and figure it out when her eyes landed on Shauna, and just to double check, she discretely glanced back at Trevor.

Yep. Her suspicions had been confirmed.

Shauna reassured him with a thumbs up and a cute grin on her face. "Just give it your best shot!" She didn't take her eyes off of him for a second, really trying to get her point across.

Trevor looked into her eyes with a pleading look on his face, but when he saw she wasn't going to budge and let him get away with it, he just sighed in defeat and slumped back into his chair. "Erm...how about something low-key, like...I don't know, S-kins?"

"Okay, okay, enough with the nicknames." Serena frustratingly held out her hands in front of her to stop them. "You guys, I don't need a nickname. Seriously. Please, just...call me Serena." She sighed deeply, looking at the others around the table. _These_ were the people she had to put up with for Arceus only knows how many months!?

Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor all exchanged a glance before looking back at Serena. They all shrugged and came to an agreement, and Serena sighed in relief.

"Can we meet the Pokemon now?" They all glanced over at an impatient Shauna, a little amused at the sight of her tapping her fingers on the table. "I want to see the Pokemon so I can meet my new partner!"

"Alright, Shaunee, alright!" Tierno chuckled at the impatient girl before picking up a case from the floor and setting it on the table. When he opened it up, three Pokeballs were resting inside.

"Calem, can I pick first? Please please please pleeeeeaseeeee!?" Shauna pleaded, gripping his shoulders and shaking him back and forth violently.

Calem rolled his eyes, taking Shauna's hands off of him and shaking his head. "Sure, Shauna."

"Yay!" Shauna immediately picked up one of the Pokeballs from the case Tierno had previously set on the table. Serena figured she already had one picked out from the moment Tierno had brought the case out.

She opened up the Pokeball to release what was inside, and out came the Kalos Grass-type starter: Chespin.

"He's so cute!" Shauna shrieked girlishly, picking up her Chespin and immediately smooshing him in a hug against her face.

The other four at the table rolled their eyes at Shauna before Calem interrupted. "Alright, I guess I'll take this one then." Calem picked up a different Pokeball, looking it over with a judgmental eye. "I wanted Froakie anyways."

Tierno closed the case and put it back into his bag as Calem opened up the Pokeball and released his Water-type starter: Froakie.

"It's nice to meet you, Froakie." Calem professionally shook Froakie's paw, who saluted Calem in return, just as serious-natured as his new Trainer. "Thanks to you, I can become a real Pokemon Trainer now."

Froakie and Calem exchanged looks of respect and admiration before Froakie glanced over at Serena. Froakie hopped over to her side of the table and eyed the blonde curiously.

"What is he doing...?" Shauna wondered out loud, whispering her question to Calem.

"I'm not sure..." Calem shrugged his shoulders, unsure what to make of this.

Serena wasn't all that surprised that this Pokemon had sensed something different about her. Ever since she learned their language, Serena had been blessed with not only the gift of communication, but the gift of understanding Pokemon on a completely different level. Because of this, most Pokemon saw her as an equal, even though she was human.

Serena was about to say something when Froakie opened his mouth and immediately licked her face from her chin all the way up to her forehead.

Everyone at the table gaped at Serena as she just sighed, wiping the slobber off of her face in annoyance. "...gross."

Froakie happily hopped back over to Calem and returned to his Pokeball, leaving the other four with their jaws on the floor.

Shauna and Tierno practically fell to the floor laughing their asses off, while Trevor just sweatdropped at the Pokemon's sudden change in behavior.

Calem handed Serena a tissue apologetically. "Er...sorry about that."

Serena wiped the rest of her face with the tissue, getting the remaining frog slobber off. "It's...fine. Really." She sighed helplessly, not really all that bothered by it anymore.

"Well, I guess it's my turn." Trevor pulled out two rectangular objects from his backpack, looking at Calem and Shauna. "I also have something to give to you two. It will help you form a bond with Pokemon on a completely different level." Trevor handed Shauna the pink one and Calem the blue one. "These are Pokedexes. The Professor has asked us to fill these up with as many pages of Pokemon data as we possibly can." The serious look on his face didn't falter at all as he spoke seriously.

Well, at least it didn't falter until Tierno slapped him on the back again, still not knowing his own strength.

"Oof!" Trevor nearly collided with the table as he was sent forwards again.

"Trevor, relax! You can be so uptight sometimes..." Tierno chuckled loudly, then pulled out a white envelope from his bag. "Here, Serena. This is a letter from the Professor to your mom." He handed it to the blonde across the table who just eyed it curiously.

"What could he possibly have to say to my mom that he had to write into a letter...?" Serena outstretched her hand and delicately accepted the letter, turning it over and examining it curiously.

"It's just a letter to your mom explaining that he wants you to go on a Pokemon journey with us." Calem waved her suspicions off, telling her not to worry.

Serena placed the suspicious letter into her bag, thinking, _"maybe that's what the letters_ _you_ _got said, but my mom already knew about the journey, and the Professor is her own brother..."_

"I'm surprised he didn't have his assistant deliver the letter instead of you, Tierno." Trevor looked over at his friend curiously.

"...who?" Serena asked, a little confused by what Trevor had meant by that.

"The Professor's assistant." Trevor reiterated. "This person is rumored to be the number one candidate to take over Professor Sycamore's lab when he retires, and people say that they can even talk to Pokemon." The whole table was in awe at that last part.

"Whoa... Really?" Shauna blinked at Trevor owlishly. "I thought that ability had died out centuries ago!"

No one payed attention to Serena's embarrassed sweatdrop as Trevor plopped his head into his hand. "I'm so jealous... I would give _anything_ to be the Professor's apprentice. I wonder what it was about their application that made them seem more qualified than _mine_..."

Application? _What_ application...? Serena didn't have to fill out any application... Her uncle just _gave_ her the job.

And honestly... Serena kind of felt like a privileged snob for that.

Serena eyed Trevor curiously, trying not to make it too obvious that she was thinking about something. She couldn't help but wonder to herself " _is that so?_ _"_ Her uncle had just _given_ her the position, but it's not like she begged for it because she really wanted to take over the lab or anything. But Trevor _did_ want that...

"I wonder who the assistant is?" Shauna wondered what the rest of the table was thinking out loud. "I bet we'll get to meet them when we visit the Professor in Lumiose City!" She excitedly clapped her hands together.

"Hmm..." Calem pressed his lips together into a thin line. "I wonder if they would be a worthy challenge to battle..."

After a minute of momentary silence, Tierno and Trevor stood up. "We're going to look for Pokemon in Santalune Forest. We'll meet up later." Tierno pushed in his chair, then waved good-bye to the remaining three Trainers. "Bye, guys!" He waved good-bye as he and Trevor walked off and across a bridge that lead out of Aquacorde Town.

Serena paused for a moment before standing up and returning Charmander to his Pokeball. "I suppose I should get going. I need to give that letter to my mom." She turned to leave without saying good-bye, leaving Calem and Shauna behind in the dust.

"WAIT, SERENA! OH, OH, SERENA! WAIT!"

Serena stopped dead in her tracks, five feet away from the Town's entrance. She inwardly cursed herself as she slowly turned around in time to see Shauna running up to her.

"Let's have a Pokemon battle!" Shauna blurted out her request as soon as she caught up, piquing Serena's interest.

Although she had no intention of befriending any of these people on her journey because that would only distract her from her goal and slow her down, Serena _was_ a Pokemon Trainer, and she was very serious about her career. If she wanted to become champion someday, then she had to battle to get stronger, and that was _exactly_ what she was going to do.

"Alright..." A competitive smirk crept up on her face, and she tilted her hat down over her eyes. "A battle it is, then." Serena grabbed Charmander's Pokeball off of her belt and sent him forwards, stepping back to leave a reasonable distance between herself and Shauna.

Shauna let out her Chespin from its Pokeball, and they were ready to start.

"I'll referee."

Serena turned her head towards the voice that spoke to her, watching as Calem caught up to her and Shauna. "Alright then."

"Are we ready?" Calem glanced over at both sides of the battlefield, receiving a nod from both girls. "Then you may begin!"

"Alright, Chespin! Tackle Serena's Charmander and get in the first move!" She pointed at Charmander with a fierce look of determination written across her face, giving her confident order.

"Hm." Serena watched as Chespin began to charge, completely unfazed. "Charmander, dodge his attack by leaping into the air, then retaliate with an aerial ember attack."

Both Trainers watched as their Pokemon advanced on one another, unable to do anything other than watch their respected Pokemon try and obey their orders during this turn.

Chespin picked up his speed and charged at Charmander, but Charmander was a bit quicker and launched himself into the air with a powerful jump. The fire-lizard took in a deep breath as he was preparing to breathe fire, and his stomach glowed ever so slightly as a result. Charmander opened his jaw and shot fiery-hot embers at Chespin and hit him dead-on. The Grass-type staggered and struggled to stay up, and he attempted to brush the charred ash off of him but winced when he touched the burn.

That attack was super effective, and Serena knew she only needed to land one more hit to win this easy battle. She did have the type advantage, after all.

"Oh no, Chespin!" Shauna started to panic, stressfully tugging at her pigtails. "Don't get hit again! Try and ram Charmander with your tackle attack!"

Chespin worriedly glanced back at Shauna, and Serena instantly sensed his pain. She could feel how pressured he was to win for his Trainer now, which inevitably made this battle all that much easier for her to win.

"Dodge it and follow up with a scratch to the stomach and an ember to the face." Serena effortlessly gave her order without a single trace of emotion, completely serious and in battle-mode.

Chespin went at Charmander again and missed when the fire-lizard jumped out of the way at the last possible second. Charmander scratched at Chespin's stomach, back-flipped into the air, and then shot a fiery ember right at Chespin's face, just as instructed. Charmander then stuck his graceful landing right in front of Serena. The attack was a critical hit and sent Chespin flying backwards and into the ground, and he skidded across Aquacorde Town's tiled floor and back towards Shauna.

"NOOO! CHESPIN!" Shauna flipped out, running up to Chespin and scooping him up into her arms dramatically. "Aww... I wasn't done watching my cute Lil' Chespin yet..."

"Serena is the victor!" Calem comically brought his arm down like a flag, then applauded both sides for their efforts.

"That is exactly why you lost, you know."

Shauna blinked back her frustrated tears and stared up at Serena approaching her, a little upset and confused. "W-what?"

"Serena..." Calem stepped forwards, starting to scold her for her abrasiveness.

"You can't panic during battle, no matter what is happening." Serena knelt down in front of Shauna, glancing down at her fainted Chespin. "If you panic, then so will your Pokemon, and they will try even harder to win for you and lose their focus. You always have to be strong for your Pokemon in battle, no matter what." She met Shauna's eyes and noticed the tears stopped welling up in them, and she pulled something out of her bag before handing it to Shauna. "Here, take this."

"...A potion?" Shauna accepted the gift, staring at it curiously. "Thank you, Serena."

Serena stood back up and turned her head away. "No problem."

Shauna gasped a little in shock when she saw Serena's outstretched hand in front of her face, and she couldn't keep away her smile as she accepted it and let the blonde pull her up.

Shauna was about to thank her again when she noticed Serena had already begun to walk away, making a cool exit. She smiled gently to herself, then got ready to use the potion on her Chespin.

Calem looked at Shauna curiously, and he couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. He suddenly found himself running after Serena, and when he caught up to her, she had an interesting reaction.

Serena turned her head to see who was running towards her, and when she saw it was Calem, she sighed and turned back towards Vaniville Town again. "You again."

Calem rolled his eyes at her stubborn, cold behavior. "I was only going to say you're a pretty good Trainer for someone who just started out."

"Thanks." Serena shot him a sideways glance before jerking her gaze forwards again. "I used to watch my father battle a lot and raise his Pokemon when I was growing up. I guess you could say that's how I learned battle strategy." She simply shrugged her shoulders and stared down at the ground, kicking at the occasional pebble on the floor.

"I think that's the first time I've heard you mention your father." Calem observed objectively, cautiously approaching the subject. "Is there a reason he didn't move in with you and your mother? I noticed he wasn't around when I was over earlier."

Serena stopped dead in her tracks, remaining completely frozen for a good minute before gritting her teeth and balling up her fists. "That's probably because he's _dead."_ She suddenly stomped forwards, picking up her pace and leaving Calem behind in the dust.

Calem was so stunned by her sudden change in mood that he nearly tripped. "Oh, wait! Serena, wait! I'm sorry!" He jogged to catch up to her, and when they reached the gate that lead to Vaniville Town, he stood in front of it and blocked her from going inside.

"Get out of my way." Serena stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest, practically growling at him from how fuming mad she was.

"Look, Serena, I... I'm sorry." Calem held up his hands in defense, apologizing. "I didn't know."

Serena awkwardly shuffled in her standing position, keeping the serious look up on her face. "Well I guess you do now."

"What happened?" Calem inquired curiously before catching his slip up. "Oh, uh, if you don't mind, that is."

Serena squared her shoulders stubbornly, jerking her face away from Calem to the side. "Someone killed him about a month ago."

Calem definitely wasn't expecting to hear that. "Oh. Wow... I'm sorry for your loss." He pondered his options for what he should do next, and he calmly approached Serena. "Look, if you want to talk about it, I..."

"I _don't_." She interrupted him, pushing past Calem and taking this opportunity to get through the gate and go back home.

Calem helplessly watched her go, exhaling sharply. "But that's what friends do for each other..."

Serena froze mid-step through the gate, completely caught of guard by his words. "You..." She slowly turned around on her heel, and Calem was shocked to see that her bitter expression had been replaced with an innocent look of confusion. "...consider me your friend? _Why?"_

Calem sweatdropped a little, trying to put his thoughts into words without sounding _too_ awkward. "Well, yeah... The way I see it, you're kind of my rival now. We're the only ones going for the badges out of us five." He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, looking up from the ground and meeting Serena's grey eyes. "You might not consider me as a friend yet, since we just met, but I kind of thought you were mine."

She stood there in silence, completely turned around and facing Calem. Only about a foot remained of the distance between them, and she seemed to be debating something inwardly.

Serena looked up at the taller boy standing before her before taking in a deep breath. "...come on. Let's go." She held the gate open for him, ushering him inside.

Calem quirked an eyebrow at her. "Where are we going?"

Serena stepped through the gate and made sure Calem was following her. "My house. Once I give my mom the letter, we can go catch up with Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor."

Calem smiled at her subtle invite before following her to her place.

...and for the second time in the same day, he forgot about the psycho Rhyhorn.

"Ah!" Calem yelled with surprise when Serena's Rhyhorn growled at him menacingly, and the teenage boy stared at his hand with surprise when someone grabbed it.

"He's with me, Rhyhorn. Calm down." Serena showed the Pokemon their intertwined hands, commanding the Pokemon to back down.

Rhyhorn eyed his master's daughter holding the hand of _that_ boy, then glared at him menacingly before begrudgingly stomping back to his spot on the front lawn.

Serena didn't let go of Calem's hand and dragged him over towards her front door (mostly because she forgot she was holding it in the _first_ place), and she would soon regret this mistake the moment she stepped into her house.

Grace Yvonne was washing dishes in the kitchen and immediately came out into the hallway to see who walked into the house. "Serena! Welcome home...oh? Why hello, Calem!" A devilish smirk fixated itself on her lips.

Serena blinked at her mother in confusion before following her line of sight, which lead her right to her and Calem's hands. She immediately let go and jerked her hand away when she realized what she was doing. "Don't you even start." Serena narrowed her eyes at her mother, only making Grace laugh.

"What?" Grace innocently held her hands up in defense as she couldn't help but laugh a little. "I haven't even _said_ anything!"

"But you were _thinking_ it." Serena walked over to her mother and shoved the letter into her hands. "Here. It's from your brot...erm, Professor Sycamore." The blonde quickly coughed after catching her mistake, nearly slipping up there.

"Oh, is that so?" Grace immediately tore into the letter and laughed. "Wow, his girly handwriting hasn't changed at all..."

"Well, now that you have that, I guess I should get going now." Serena turned to leave, but Grace quickly stopped her.

"Wait, Serena!" Grace caught up to her daughter and Calem at the door, holding a small object in her hands. "Your father wanted you to have this for your journey. He saved it all this time..." She smiled sadly as she presented the red Holo Caster to Serena.

Serena accepted the gift and stared at it in disbelief. "Is this the first one he ever made...?"

"It sure is." Grace's sad smile almost made Calem feel just as depressed, but he was more occupied with Serena at present.

She had this look of utter sadness and heartbreak written across her face as she eyed the Holo Caster. She swallowed the urge to cry and clipped the Holo Caster to her belt right as her mother embraced her in a tight hug.

"Have fun on your journey, honey." Grace rested her head on top of Serena's, hugging her daughter tightly one last time before she left. "Calem." She eyed the boy staring at her daughter from where he stood. "Keep her safe. Promise me."

 _"Mom."_ Serena groaned, pulling away from her mother. "I can take care of myself, you know." She rested her hands on her hips, quirking an eyebrow at her mother.

"I know, I know, but still..." Grace helplessly looked over at Calem, who smiled gently at her in return.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Yvonne." Calem bowed slightly to her respectfully. "I promise."

"Come on, Calem." Serena called him over, ushering him out the front door. "Let's get going."

And little did Serena know that first step she took outside her front door...was the beginning of an _epic_ adventure.

...

 _"RHY!"_

"Get this thing _away_ from me!"

"Rhyhorn! Back off!"

"What the!? Hey...OW!"

"I'm sorry, Calem!"

* * *

 **A sad, happy, AND funny chapter all in one XD I hope this was a good read for you guys!**

 **Well, like I always say...**

 **Read, review, and enjoy the story :)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Welcome to Santalune Forest." Calem stopped in front of the entrance, turning to look at Serena on his right.

"So COOL!" Shauna bounced up and down excitedly. "We're finally beginning our journey together!"

Serena stared at Shauna as if she was a Ponyta running around with a Magikarp for a head. "Are you _always_ this hyper...?"

"Of _course!"_ Shauna laughed, punching Serena's arm lightly and not paying attention to the blonde's internal cringe. "I CALL SERENA!" Shauna wrapped her hand around Serena's, running straight for the forest and dragging the blonde with her.

"Wait, what...AH!" Serena yelped girlishly when Shauna caught her off guard by suddenly starting to drag her around at top speed. She kept trying to squirm out of the girl's _impossible_ grip. "Let go of me! What are we doing!?"

Calem shook his head, watching the two girls disappear behind the shady trees up ahead. "Good luck, Serena..."

* * *

"Stop! Quit dragging me around...LET GO!" Serena protested very loudly, digging the heels of her boots into the ground in attempt to slow Shauna down.

It didn't work.

"This will be so much fun!" Shauna finally let go of Serena as she stepped into the forest, causing the blonde girl to actually _fall_ backwards onto her butt from Shauna suddenly letting go of her hand.

"Oof!" Serena fell to the ground with a thud, and her hat fell over her eyes.

Shauna turned around and shot Serena a quizzical look. "Hey, Serena, why are you sitting on the ground like that?"

Serena slowly lifted the brim of her hat from her face, focusing her now visible gray-eyed icy glare on Shauna. "You _dropped_ me here."

Shauna stared at her for a good minute before turning on her heel and skipping off. "...nope. I don't think so."

Serena groaned to herself, eyeing the Pokeball clipped to her belt. "What have I gotten myself into...?" She was about to stand herself back up when someone grabbed her wrists and immediately jerked her back up. "Hey!" Serena pulled her hat from her eyes again, glaring at Shauna.

Shauna rolled her striking green eyes. "You were too slow, so I came back to pull you up. Now, come on! Let's go!" She excitedly pointed ahead, then immediately started to bound off in that direction.

"Hey, wait!" Serena snapped at her and lunged forward, latching onto Shauna's shirt collar. "Be careful! You nearly just walked right into a pond!"

Shauna turned around and blinked at Serena incredulously. "What pond?"

Serena had an intense _are you kidding me_ look on her face as she pointed to the small pond that was literally just right beside them.

Serena deadpanned _, "that_ one," as she pointed to it, completely serious and a little annoyed with Shauna's naivety.

Shauna blinked owlishly at the small pond that was right next to her feet. "Oh."

Serena just facepalmed. "Do you _ever_ pay attention to where you're going?" She slid her hand slowly down her face until she could see Shauna again.

Shauna just scoffed. "What? Of _course_ I do! The pond just...snuck up on me." She brushed Serena off, immediately running off again somewhere into the woods.

Serena just stared blankly ahead at Shauna skipping off into the distance. "Is she...serious?" The blonde just groaned before taking off into a sprint after the hyper fifteen-year-old. "Shauna, slow down! AND WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

They had wandered around in that forest for _hours_. Shauna was too stubborn to admit she was lost and didn't know where she was going, Serena was too busy pulling Shauna out of the way of _constant_ danger to leave her side and take her chances wandering around by herself, and neither of the two girls had any clue where the exit was. Neither of them had seen Tierno, Trevor, or Calem since they split up. The guys had to be somewhere around here, right...?

"...and so once he moved in and our parents met each other, we became friends!" Shauna blissfully danced around the forest, recalling the first time she met Calem when she was just an infant. "We've been friends since we were born!"

"That's _great_." Serena annoyingly stared forward at nothing in particular, reaching out for Shauna's shirt collar and pulling her out of the way of a tree again.

"Isn't it?" Shauna gleefully smiled, not having noticed the large maple tree she nearly walked face-first into.

Serena took in one deep breath and sighed. Shauna was just _not_ taking any of her " _I seriously don't want to talk to you"_ hints. _Dense_ wasn't a good enough word to do Shauna justice.

"And then I met Trevor and Tierny in Trainer School!" Shauna clapped her hands together excitedly, ignoring the annoyed groan that escaped Serena's lips. She just kept going. And going.

And going.

"Let me guess." Serena sarcastically rolled her eyes into the back of her head. "You guys all got assigned to sit at the same table in class."

Shauna spun around at an incredible speed, bewildered beyond belief. "How did you know!? You must be psychic or something..." She slapped the sides of her face, gasping sharply.

Serena just stared at her. "You told me the same story five _minutes_ ago."

Shauna paused for a second, thinking really hard. "Oh yeah."

It took all of Serena's inner strength to keep herself from abruptly bashing her head on a tree repeatedly. Shauna was driving her _insane_. She just kept on talking. And talking.

And talking.

...and not to mention all of the bouncing.

The blonde scowled ahead of her at the sight of Shauna skipping happily around with her Chespin in her arms. So annoying... Serena had left Charmander to remain in his Pokeball, given the fact that all the baby Pokemon really ever liked to do really was nap.

This whole day was just so overwhelming for Serena. Hell, this whole _month_ has been overwhelming. Her father was murdered, and his killer got away with it. That angered her beyond words. And then she had to move to a completely different region, and even though she was originally _from_ Kalos, the move still stressed her out. That was enough change for her to put up with for a good year or so, but no, the universe just _had_ to give her more bullshit to deal with. Like four idiots she had to babysit on a trip around the region.

Oh joy. So much fun.

She hadn't seen the brainy idiot, the dancing idiot, or the thick-headed know-it-all idiot in a few hours, and Serena had practically been glued to the happy-go-lucky idiot's side this whole time. Seriously, shouldn't they have run into Trevor, Tierno, and/or Calem by now? Serena knew that Santalune Forest was big, but not _this_ big.

Serena narrowed her eyes at a particular tree they just passed, and she came to an immediate stop. "Shauna, we've passed this tree before. Stop."

The brunette came to a skidding halt in front of Serena, and she poked her bug eyes around her to see. "...oh. I think you're right. Now what do we do?"

Serena just sighed as she began removing her hat and purse, setting them down at the base of the tree. "I'll be right back... Stay here, Shauna."

Shauna perked right up and saluted Serena seriously. "Yes ma'am!"

Serena just rolled her eyes to herself as she began grabbing onto one of the lower tree branches. She hoisted herself up onto the bottom one, and the blonde didn't waste any more time in climbing this tree. Pretty soon, she disappeared from Shauna's sight, and she found herself sitting at the top of the tree on a branch.

"Hmm..." Serena hummed to herself, looking around her to try and find the exit. "Well there is Aquacorde Town, so that means... Ah! There it is!" She pointed ahead of her at Santalune City, just thrilled by the fact that it was only a five minute walk away. "Finally, we can get out of here..."

Shauna nearly jumped out of her skin when Serena suddenly landed in front of her, having jumped down from the tree. "Yikes! Jheeze, Serena, you scared me!"

Serena completely ignored her and picked her stuff back up, placing her hat back on her head before heading in the direction of the exit. "Let's go, Shauna. The exit is this way."

Shauna blinked repeatedly. "Hmm? Oh! Okay~!" The fifteen-year-old skipped after her new blonde friend, humming cheerful songs to herself that just pissed off Serena.

Well, to be fair, _everything_ pissed off Serena.

Just as Serena predicted, it only took them about five minutes to reach the exit. No one else was here besides them, so it was easy for her to conclude that they were the first to find it. Serena took a seat at the bottom of a tree and leaned her back up against it, getting ready to wait for the rest of the group to catch up. As she began removing her pencil and sketchbook from her purse, Shauna anxiously started to jump up and down in place.

"Hey, Serena?" She started to burn off some of her energy by rocking back and forth on her heels. "I think I'm going to go back and look for a Pikachu. Wait here for the guys, okay?"

Serena didn't even look up from what she was doing as she waved good-bye. "Already on it."

The harsh silence of Santalune Forest was almost a little overwhelmingly intense, but it was a peaceful silence. The only noises that reached Serena's ears were the lulling chirps of Fletchlings and the windy rustle of leaves. It was very cold outside today, thanks to the slight breeze, and Serena was already thankful she thought to bring her black, floor-length trench coat with her on this journey. Travelling right around Christmas time in Kalos was very difficult, considering how much snow Kalos got each year.

 _"Why did I lie?"_ Serena thought to herself as she began sketching accurate pictures of the forest Pokemon like Fletchling and Scatterbugs.

Why _did_ she lie? Why did she lie about her role as the professor's assistant? She was supposed to take the lead and be in charge of everyone, and yet...

She lied to conceal the truth of who she _really_ was.

But why? It's not like Serena really _cared_ what these four idiots thought of her...

She didn't really understand why she did it. When they asked her those questions earlier, she just blurted out her lies as if it were instinct. Subconsciously, she tried to cover for herself so they wouldn't find out Serena had gotten special treatment from her Uncle.

Or maybe she _did_ care a little...

After all, there was something different about when Serena met the four teens today. They didn't know her name, let alone who she was. Hell, Calem didn't even recognize her own _mother_ , who was actually a pretty famous Kalosian for her racing career.

How could they _not_ know? It was just... _strange_ that they didn't.

But it was kind of nice for a change.

Her mother was a famous Rhyhorn racer. Her father? He single-handedly developed the Holo Caster and co-founded Kalos' biggest technology company. Her aunt on her father's side owned Boutique Couture and had her own fashion design firm. Her uncle on her mother's side was Professor Sycamore, Kalos' renowned Pokemon Professor. Diantha, the famous movie star, Pokemon League Champion, and singer? Yeah, she was Serena's godmother.

It was pretty hard _not_ to know who Serena was. Well, at least it was hard not to know who her _family_ was...

Serena bitterly scribbled her drawings in her sketchbook with a frown on her face. "Why doesn't anyone ever remember _my_ name..."

She just was tired of living in the shadows of her family's success, and she wanted to never be walked all over again.

And the only way to do that was become the strongest Trainer of all, beating Diantha and claiming her position as champion _herself_.

"Serena?"

The blonde flinched slightly as she suddenly noticed her sketchbook was covered by a large, humanoid shadow cast over it. She carefully looked up at the figure towering over her, blinking repeatedly at Calem's face.

"Oh. Hey." Serena's eyes flickered down to her sketchbook as she gripped her pencil tighter.

"What's this?" Calem bent over and swiftly snatched her sketchbook from her hands, staring at her drawings with a smile forming in the corner of his mouth. "Hey, these are pretty good."

"Give that back!" Serena immediately shot straight up and swiped the sketchbook from Calem's hand, slamming it closed so he couldn't look at her sketches any longer.

Calem laughed a little at the faintest shade of red staining Serena's embarrassed cheeks. "What were you drawing Pokemon for?"

Serena looked off to the side as she thought, _"because my uncle asked me to make a sketch to go with every Pokedex entry..."_ and voiced a different thought instead. "I... Just like to draw sometimes." She placed her intertwined hands behind her back, rocking on her heels a bit.

Another lie.

Calem seemed to accept that explanation without any doubt, and he curled his lips into a tiny smile. "Well, they're pretty good."

"Whatever." Serena rolled her disinterested eyes, crossing her arms in annoyance.

Calem chuckled at the ice queen's typical behavior as the sound of three pairs of feet crunching the leaves on the forest floor were drawing closer and closer to both him and Serena. Calem turned his head to see Trevor and Tierno heading this way with a giggling Shauna tagging along, who was holding an adorable little Pikachu in her arms.

Serena stared past Calem and blinked her eyes at the three approaching them, and she turned on her heel and promptly exited the forest now that everyone had caught up. "And so it begins..."

Calem watched her go with a strange look on his face. He couldn't help but wonder why Serena was they way she was, being so cold and emotionally distant like that. And why she got embarrassed at the weirdest things, like her sketches... It was kind of funny, actually.

"Was that Serena just now?" Shauna bounded over to Calem, fluttering her bug eyes at him quizzically.

Almost as if Calem didn't even hear her, the black-haired boy took off straight ahead, running in the direction Serena went. He sprinted quickly in order to catch up to her, and Shauna stuck out her bottom lip to pout as she watched him go.

"I guess I lost, huh?" She bitterly chuckled to herself with a sad smile, staring down at her feet.

"Lost what, Shaunee?" Tierno poked his head around the shorter girl to look her in the face.

Shauna did nothing but lightly pat his shoulder. "Nothing, Tierny. Don't worry about it."

* * *

 **Sooo, long time since my last update, huh?**

 **Sorry about that XD I've been busy with school and stuff. Long story short, I'll be working on this book more now.**

 **Anyways...**

 **Read, review, and enjoy the story :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_"I'm an idiot..."_ Serena mentally scolded herself, staring down at her shoes as Calem was giving everyone in the group some tips for their journey. She was only half listening.

 _Half_ listening.

How could she be so stupid? She finally understood why she kept on lying to them and covering her sorry ass every time one of them got close to finding out that _she_ was the rumored 'professor's assistant.'

She actually sort of...

...

... _liked_ these people.

Even the _thought_ made her want to gag. Somehow, when she wasn't paying attention, these four _very_ eccentric people snuck up on her and earned a small place in her seemingly cold heart, even though she vowed to never love or care about another person ever again.

After she lost her father, the pain that Serena felt was absolutely _unbearable_.

It felt like every day she lived her life now was a living hell. She felt as if she was just drifting along in the cold wind, and even though her life stopped the day she heard her father had been shot and killed, the world did not stop spinning just for him. It was like she was walking around in a cruel world that meant nothing.

Her _life_ meant nothing.

She loved her father so much, and then one day... He was gone. Just like that.

Even though it wasn't his fault, Serena knew from the start that she couldn't risk losing someone she loved ever again. It was just too painful, and she knew deep down inside she wasn't strong enough to handle that pain, that heartbreak... She wasn't even strong enough to handle it _now_.

And so, she vowed she would never love anyone ever again...

Until she met _these_ four idiots.

They were sort of starting to grow on her. But that's all it was, they weren't anything to her! Nothing at all! It would be _ridiculous_ for Serena to consider these people her friends after such a short time of knowing each other...

Trevor and his awkward, yet likable intelligent demeanor. Tierno's upbeat personality that kept the group smiling at all times. Shauna's weird charisma that was pretty fucking annoying, actually. And Calem, well...

What _did_ Serena think of Calem? If she were to describe him to someone, what would she _say_...?

...

She didn't really know.

Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know the first thing _about_ Calem, yet she always felt her tense shoulders relax a little when he was nearby. Calem was just so...honest. Yeah, that was the word to describe him: honest. Not in the sense of he always told the truth, (but she was sure he did that too), but Serena meant in the sense of what he was feeling. You could tell what Calem was thinking or feeling because it was always written on his face as clear as day. He just had an honest, open personality.

And he was a little arrogant too... She could already tell, not that he had done anything to make her think like that, though.

It was just the way he walked, talked, and naturally took over the group and lead them along. He was just a bit of...a know-it-all. But not in a bad way. It was actually kind of...admirable. He was so knowledgeable about Pokemon and what you have to do to be a successful Trainer, and yet he was just as much of a beginner as the rest of them. What was up with that? Oh... Didn't her mother mention that his parents were _both_ successful Ace Trainers? That might have something to do with it...

He was a mystery to Serena. What was going on in that head of his? She didn't really know...

He had this charming, can-do and take charge sort of attitude that surrounded him. It seemed like he feared nothing at all, and he lived off of this intense desire to make something of himself.

Perhaps that was why Serena felt herself closer to Calem than the rest of them...

Because they were so similar.

...in their sense of purpose, of course. Their personalities were totally different.

Serena was cold, and appeared to be emotionally distant from others on the outside. In reality, she was actually a very caring, sensitive person, but not many people got to see that. She was a very strong woman, and was certainly not a child anymore. That was for sure. Those around her admired her strength and sense of purpose in life. She was sweet, kind, and thoughtful. Anyone who _really_ knew her could tell you that. She was a treasure to behold, and once you earned her love, and her respect, she was a person you _never_ wanted to lose. Serena was just so loyal and so kind-hearted, that over the years of neglect she endured from everyone around her, she hardened her shell so her heart would stop taking so many direct hits all the time... She looked strong on the outside, and in a way she was, but more than anything...

Serena was lonely.

Calem was...different. He was a little less uptight than Serena when it came to most things, unless it was training. He was a more dedicated Trainer than Serena was, although they both desired the position of Champion the same. He already knew from the moment he picked his starter that he would spent countless hours every day training his Pokemon team. Calem was smart, cool, and cunning, but he had a little touch of a humorous side to him. He was already beginning to enjoy teasing Serena and gauging her funny reactions, which only boosted his pride more.

They were polar opposites, and yet they couldn't be more the same.

"Serena?"

Serena's eyes widened sharply and she gasped from shock at the sight of Calem's blue-grey eyes staring at her from mere _inches_ before her face. The blonde stumbled back a few steps as she let out a frosty breath that could be seen by anyone a mile away, and she clenched her fists that were covered by her black mittens.

Calem worriedly looked her over, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? You spaced out for a little there..."

"Sorry." Serena's eyes darted to the snowy ground as his warm hand grasped her shoulder, her eyes flickering with the sadness hidden within them. "I was just thinking, I guess..."

Everyone but Calem seemed to be reassured by her statement, and Shauna suddenly began to jump up and down.

"Oooh, it's too cold out here!" The brunette vigorously bounced to warm herself up. "Can we pleeeeeease go to Santalune City now and get warmed up?"

"I agree with Shaunee on this one." Tierno patted her head with an awkward grin on his face. "If we stay out here any longer, we might catch a cold..."

Calem turned to look at the other three standing a little ways behind himself and Serena, and he nodded his head. "You guys go ahead. We'll catch up."

Trevor shot Calem a worriedly glance. "Are you sure? We could just as easily wait for you..."

Tierno grabbed the back of both Shauna and Trevor's coat collars, grinning as he turned around with the two younger kids in his hands as he dragged them along. "Come on, guys! Let's go get some hot chocolate or something!"

"Ack...Tierno! Let go of me!"

"DID YOU SAY HOT CHOCOLATE!?"

Calem shut his eyes as he attempted to keep himself from laughing aloud at the chatter coming from his friends as they were walking away. Within seconds, they were out of ear shot, and Calem snapped his eyes open to look at Serena. "Okay, what's up? You were hardly listening at all when I was giving everyone adventure tips earlier."

Serena awkwardly shoved her hands in her pockets as she gave the floor a heavy, guilty look. "I'm sorry... It's just, I..."

"What is it?" Calem moved closer to her, trying to get the blonde to open up.

This was not an easy thing to do.

Serena looked up from the floor and stared at Calem intensely, gathering her courage to be brave and tackle this fear head on. "Why do you want to be friends with me?"

Calem was a little astonished by her question, and also a bit caught off guard. "...what?"

"You heard me..." Serena stared down at the floor once again, dejected. "I won't say it again..."

Calem eyed her curiously as a wistful smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I don't know. You're just different, I guess. I like that about you."

Now it was Serena's turn to say 'what.' "What...?" The blonde almost glared at him from how completely and utterly shocked she was. "Why!?"

Calem just laughed at how much this was upsetting her. "I don't know!" His smile was very charming as he threw his shoulders back and stuffed his hands into his pockets to keep warm. "I just think you're a pretty interesting girl, neighbor." He leaned in towards her closely, only keeping a small proximity between them. "Why are you asking?"

Serena's cheeks flushed bright red at how close his face was to hers, painfully aware of this as she tore her gaze from him. "Because..."

"Because...?" Calem impatiently drew out his sentence, trying to get her to finish her thought.

Serena clenched her fists as she threw them down to her sides, having a miniature outburst as she squinted her eyes shut tightly. "Because no one has ever wanted to be my _friend_ before!"

Calem's playful attitude immediately dropped, and the look he was giving her grew very, very sad. "Oh..."

"...what?" Serena crossed her arms, shooting him a bitter glance from her turned position.

"Nothing." Calem shook his head with a smile. "I guess that just explains a lot."

Serena stared down at the floor, unsure of what to say. "I just...wanted to know _why_."

Calem looked at the vulnerable side to Serena with a curious smile on his face, unsure of why exactly the untrusting girl before him that he barely knew was letting him see this side of her.

He didn't know why she seemed to show him, and only him these different sides of her, but thinking about it just made him want to smile.

"Hey." Calem reached out and awkwardly patted Serena's head, trying to console her. "I don't really have a good answer for you other than I think it would be fun for us to be friends, and it would be nice to be near someone that's a worthy challenge for a change..." Calem's speech drifted off into the cold wind momentarily before he refocused his point and continued. "But all you really need to know, Serena, is that I do really want to be your friend."

Serena flinched as she stared as hard as she could into his eyes, wondering if _any_ of that was true. His words didn't sound like a lie, and his eyes most certainly weren't lying, so...

Calem gasped from shock when Serena suddenly leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly around the neck, burying her face into his shoulder. He subconsciously wrapped his arms around her petite waist and held her close as he listened to her sharp breathing and fluttering heartbeat.

"Thank you..." Serena mumbled into his shoulder loud enough for her thanks to reach Calem's ears.

"No prob." Calem rested his head on hers, involuntarily smiling at her sudden change in attitude and behavior.

So there _was_ more to the 'ice queen' than he originally thought.

"Ah...ACHOO!"

Calem flinched when he felt Serena suddenly pull back and sneeze really hard into her mitten. He laughed at how red her cheeks were, which clearly showed him just exactly how embarrassed she was.

Calem opened up his coat and pulled Serena over to his side, pulling it around her to keep her warm as he walked her along the path to Santalune City. "Tierno was right. At this rate, you'll catch a cold if you stay out here any longer."

Serena didn't protest to his sudden action, and instead she snuggled up to Calem as he guided her along. "You're probably right..."

"...did you just agree with me?"

"I said _probably!"_

"Haha... Whatever you say, Serena."

* * *

 ***is about to explode from Kalos-shippy fluff***

 **AGHHHHHHHH that was so cute and shippy that I want to barf. Bleh. Romance. It's cute, but at the same time-bleh.**

 **XD so, I was in the mood to write, so I thought, "why not work on this some more?"**

 **...so I did.**

 **XD I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Read, review, and enjoy~!**


	7. Chapter 7

She couldn't stop blushing the entire _walk_ to Santalune City. Serena _was_ cold, and she _was_ thankful that Calem was keeping her warm, but...

Isn't it strange how in one single day, your life can change completely?

This morning, Serena woke up completely unaware of what might just happen, _and_ who she would meet. She started the very first day of the journey that would _surely_ change her life forever, and she was finally a Pokemon Trainer... She could finally begin to work towards achieving her dream of becoming Diantha's successor: the Pokemon League Champion of Kalos.

...and right now, she was snuggled up _uncomfortably_ close to a guy she just met this _morning_.

Serena's eyes flickered up to Calem's pale face as they entered the small town decorated by frost-covered plants and flowers, studying his facial features curiously as she held onto him tighter. He was so...warm. And she liked the smell of his jacket, which made her cheeks flare up just at the embarrassing thought. What the hell was she thinking!? Ugh... Serena must have woken up this morning with her head screwed on backwards or something...

They rushed into the Pokemon Center as quickly as they could, and they were soon greeted with the warm, steamy air of the heater. Serena removed herself from Calem's side now that they were indoors and rubbed her hands together ferociously.

The two teens turned to look at each other's frost-bitten state, and both Calem and Serena's faces stretched into a delighted smile as the two laughed at their pink ears and noses. It was a truly amusing sight.

"SERENA!"

The blonde barely had any time to widen her eyes in horror before a small object of some sort collided with her body at full force, successfully knocking her off of her feet. Calem winced as he watched Shauna tackle Serena to the ground hard, immediately intervening.

"Shauna..." Calem warned her with his low voice, nudging the spazzy girl off of the crushed blonde on the floor. "Give Serena a break. She can only tolerate so much of your spazziness at once."

Shauna stuck her bottom lip out to pout as she crossed her arms at Calem. "Humph... _fine_."

"...ouch." Serena groaned as she gripped her head, shutting her eyes to avoid blinding herself by looking at the fluorescent lights above.

"Come on, up you go." Calem grabbed a hold of Serena's waist and swiftly pulled her up into the air, steadying her posture once more.

"Thanks." Serena straightened out her black trench coat, stretching her sore muscles.

Tierno, who stood over by the counter next to Trevor, watched as Calem carefully handled the petite Serena and held her firmly in his arms as he lifted her up off of the ground. Tierno wasn't quite sure what it was that he just witnessed, but something happened between those two while they were alone back at the forest exit. They seemed...closer.

And maybe even more comfortable around each other.

If anything, this just made Tierno grin from ear to ear, giving him a wicked idea.

"So, what do we do now?" Trevor rose his voice to be heard, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two teens across from him.

"Hmm." Calem firmly pressed his index fingers to his lips, directing his attention towards the nurse behind the counter that had her pink hair tied up into two twintails. "After all of the training in the forest, we should probably heal up our Pokemon before we do anything else."

"Good idea." Serena nodded as she removed Charmander's Pokeball from her belt, staring at it scornfully. "This little moron is so obnoxious that he probably can't even handle having a _paper_ cut..."

Shauna sweatdropped at Serena's coldness as the blonde swiftly strode past her, causing her trench coat to swish past Shauna in a cold, icy wind.

Calem shrugged his shoulders as if he was completely used to her behavior by now, following Serena's lead over towards the counter. After all the training he did earlier, his Froakie could definitely use some patching up. They _did_ work really hard today, after all.

After everyone had healed their Pokemon, Shauna's impatient eyes darted from person to person in their group of five, very bored by just standing around. "Okay, now what? I'm so _bored_..."

Calem stiffened his shoulders slightly as he tried to think of something. "Well, I-"

A low rumbling noise abruptly cut off Calem's train of thought, and everyone turned and stared straight at Serena, who's stomach had just growled. The blonde's cheeks immediately flared red at the sight of the four of them just staring at her like that.

"Oh, um... I guess I sort of skipped lunch." She awkwardly ran a hand through her bushy bangs, looking at _anything_ but the four of them.

Calem stared at her for the longest time before he suddenly started laughing, and he swiftly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards the front doors. "Well then, how about I buy you lunch?"

Shauna watched Calem guide Serena out the doors with a grim look on her face, but what really bothered her was just how in sync they were with one another. She had known Calem for _years_ , and he had _never_ smiled at her like that... Serena had known him for only a _day_ and Calem seemed closer to her than he was anyone else.

It just wasn't fair... Was it because she was fifteen, and he was nineteen? Or maybe it was because he saw her as nothing more than a little sister to him...

All Shauna did know was that the throbbing pain in her heart couldn't be helped. She should have known the second that a gorgeous and mysterious girl like _Serena_ moved in next door to Calem that her chances of ever getting him to like her would be slim. Or even _nonexistent_...

She doubted he even knew that he was falling for Serena so _incredibly_ hard... Calem was pretty dense like that. After all, Shauna had a crush on him for five years now and Calem was none the wiser. Then again, it was equally her fault that he didn't know, since she never said anything...

But even if Shauna had said something, would it change the way things are now?

...

Probably not...

What was it about her that he liked so much? She was older, taller, and _blonde_... She was cold, distant, witty, strong-willed, and _very_ sarcastic. Was it maybe that she wanted to be a really good Trainer some day, just like Calem wanted to be? Or that they were the only two collecting the badges?

Shauna just wanted to know what it was Serena had that _she_ didn't...

"Come on, Shaunee." Tierno, sensing her foul mood, wrapped one of his burly arms around both her and Trevor, following after Calem and Serena. "Let's go too."

"Okay..." She kept her eyes glued to the floor, completely unaware of a pair of green ones watching her every move worriedly.

* * *

"Why the _hell_ did you sugar her up?" Serena stared at Shauna in horror as she watched the smaller girl hyperactively down what must have been her _fourth_ cup of hot chocolate.

A nervous bead of sweat dropped down Tierno's forehead as he watched her too. "Er... It seemed like a good idea at the time?"

Completely unaware of the conversation going on around her, Shauna looked up from her plate of food with a whipped cream mustache and awkwardly grinned at everyone. "So, what are you guys going to do on this journey?" She looked around the table at the other four teens, blinking her bright eyes with a smile on her face.

They had all stopped at a small diner close to the Pokemon Center that was called Martie's, and they were sitting at a table together eating lunch on this fine afternoon. Martie's seemed like a combination of a diner and a pub; there was a bar as well as both a stage and a microphone, which Serena could only assume had something to do with all of the "karaoke night" signs hanging up around the small restaurant. It wasn't very packed, but it wasn't empty, either. It was perfect in a sense, and the quiet music hummed through the air as waitresses whirled by with serving trays in their hands.

"Well..." Trevor rested his head in his hand as he mindlessly stirred his drink, thinking about Shauna's question seriously. "I really want to focus on the Pokedex and become Professor Sycamore's successor. I really have to work hard to make him choose me over his assistant."

Serena flinched as she shoved another bite of pasta into her mouth, trying not to seem _too_ affected by Trevor's wish. A wish she knew probably _wouldn't_ come true unless she either stepped down from her position, or talked to her uncle... Based on what had already transpired, Serena was pretty sure that her uncle had it set in his mind that she would be his successor one day.

She was getting sick and tired of everyone always deciding things for her.

Her mother wanted her to be a Rhyhorn racer; that's why Grace had personally seen to jump starting her daughter's racing career back when they still lived in Kanto. Now, her uncle wanted Serena to become just like _him_. Her father and Diantha were the only ones who _really_ wanted to know what Serena wanted to do with her life, and now one of them was _dead_.

"What about you, Tierny?" Shauna asked the oldest boy as she reached out to grab another cup of hot chocolate, which was immediately slapped away by Serena. Shauna pouted at her tremendously at that cold hard rejection.

"My dance team, of course!" Tierno nodded his head with a bright smile as he finished eating his sandwich.

Everyone knew that Tierno loved to dance; so much so, he wanted to train a team of Pokemon dancers and open up his own dance studio in Lumoise City. He loved dancing, and choreography... Just studying the way Pokemon move was what really made Tierno happy. He was very passionate about dancing; probably more than anyone else in the whole world. He really understood what it was all about, and you would be surprised by what he would have to say if you ever sat him down and really asked him about it.

"I want to become the best and the strongest Pokemon Trainer out there..." Calem grinned fondly to himself, holding Froakie's Pokeball in his hand. "I won't stop for nothing. I will become Champion someday, no matter what. No one can stop me from achieving that."

No one took notice of Serena slowly slumping down further in her chair, awkwardly remaining quiet as she buried her face in Charmander's orange, pudgy body.

The fire lizard worriedly shot his Trainer a glance behind him _. "Are you okay...?"_

"I'm _fine_..." Serena hushed her cool breath, making sure no one else could hear her.

"I'm still going for the designer status!" Shauna elicited a cute grin as she winked at her friends, holding up a peace sign. "I will shop at ALL the boutiques in Kalos, and I will become a fashion designer myself some day!"

Tierno chuckled at her enthusiasm, ruffling her hair childishly. "Sounds like a nice dream you have, Shaunee."

Serena tensed up when she felt Shauna's eyes on her, knowing the inevitable was about to happen: she was going to ask her what she wanted to do on this journey as well. And if she told the truth, that she wanted to be the Champion too...

She thought it would just make things awkward between her and Calem; her first... _friend_.

But before Shauna could ask Serena what she wanted to do...

A bright flash of white light erupted from the Pokeball Calem was holding, and Froakie spawned in front of the girl Calem was sitting next to: Serena. The little frog Pokemon eyed Serena curiously, and as soon as the blonde realized what he was about to do, he outstretched his slimy tongue and licked her face once again from the bottom of her chin all the way up to her forehead.

Calem slapped his hand over his mouth as he watched Serena shut her eyes tightly in irritation, and she cracked open an eyelid to glare at the frog Pokemon. "I'm starting to wonder if you're going to make a habit out of this..."

Calem handed her a napkin, biting down on his tongue to keep himself from laughing too hard. "Umm... I'm really sorry."

Serena wiped the frog slobber off of her face, looking at Froakie with a malevolent glare. "I can't tell if he hates me, or if this is supposed to be a sign of affection..."

Calem reached over and grabbed Froakie, placing him in his lap. He stood up from the table and motioned to leave, glancing back at everyone. "I think I'm going to go challenge the gym."

"...Oh. Alright." Shauna blinked at him awkwardly, tearing her eyes down to the floor. She was hoping they could all stay like this for just a little longer, talking and laughing with each other.

"Hey, Serena." Calem stood behind her chair and peered over the blonde's red hat, smirking down at her face. "Wanna come?"

Shauna watched as Serena's eyebrow quirked and disappeared into her hairline, and she felt absolutely crestfallen when Serena shrugged her shoulders and said, "sure," getting up from her chair and hugging Charmander close to her chest.

The brunette watched Calem and Serena go with a very depressing look on her face, and she felt her heart sink down into the pits of her stomach. It was official; she really _had_ lost...

And yet, strangely enough... She still wanted to be friends with Serena.

Was that weird? Wanting to be friends with someone that stood as your competition? Well... She wasn't _really_ Shauna's competition. If you thought about it, there really was no contest here: if it came down to it, Serena would win without a doubt. Even if she didn't like Calem at all. Or even if Calem didn't like Serena like that, she'd still win: Calem would end up being a closer friend to Serena than he would be to Shauna, since they were so similar. They were both so _incredibly_ stubborn, it was almost a little obnoxious.

Maybe it just...wasn't meant to be?

...who was she kidding? She's liked Calem for five _years_ now; even though she knew she'd have to get over it eventually, there was no way she could do it in one day.

This...was going to hurt. But Shauna knew she would come out of this okay.

But, on the other hand...

...

If _she_ couldn't be the one to get Calem's stubborn head out of the clouds, then maybe...

Maybe Serena could.

* * *

 **Mrahhhh. I felt like working on this book some more. What else do I have to do when I'm laying in bed all day sick? XD**

 **Anyways, I know this book is a slow start, but... Just bear with me XD once they REALLY get going on their adventure, I promise it will go a lot faster, and the action will pick up.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy :D**


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